ALEX Salmond's response follows Lord McConnell's plea to hold a ceasefire between the Yes and No camps for duration of the Glasgow 2014 games.

THE Commonwealth Games are too big to be hijacked by electioneers, Scots politicians and sporting heroes claimed last night.

First Minister Alex Salmond said it was “nonsensical” to suggest the Games, staged eight weeks before the independence referendum on September 18, would be overshadowed by campaigning.

He said the scale of the event will mean an official truce between the referendum rivals won’t be needed.

Salmond was responding to calls by former first minister Jack McConnell for a ceasefire between the Yes and No camps during the Games, which run from July 23 to August 3.

He said: “There’s no reason to have any doubts – the Games are going to be the most enormous success for Scotland.

First Minister Alex Salmond

“It’s right and proper that people will debate politics but the idea that it will overshadow the Games is nonsensical.”

Scotland’s most successful athlete, 1980 Olympics 100m champion Allan Wells, believes the Games will ensure Scots won’t even be thinking about the independence question.

Wells said: “The way things are going with the preparations, the Games will be so gripping that Scots will be too absorbed to be bothered about referendum talk.

“We’ve had so much talk of it already that most people will have made up their minds by the summer.”

Wells won his sprint gold medal in Moscow during a boycott by American athletes.

He added: “There’s no doubt politics can be a distraction and athletes need to be 100 per cent focused on their key objectives.

“I was single-minded, to the point of being bloody-minded, when I was at the height of my abilities and nothing was going to stop me.

“Common sense will prevail among politicians, too. They won’t want to come across as trying to steal the limelight. It would reflect badly on them if they did.”

Lord McConnell

But Lord McConnell claimed: “It would be wise right now, six months before the Games, for both sides to say they will agree a truce for that two-week period.

“A clear statement of intent would be very meaningful for the athletes and Games organisers.

“We can concentrate on making sure the Games are a huge success and still have a vibrant, successful referendum campaign that delivers a clear decision for Scotland.”

However, Sport Minister Shona Robison said a complete truce would be unrealistic. She added: “We’re all mature enough to recognise this is a hugely important event for our country. We all want it to be a success and no one wants to jeopardise that in any way.

“We can do that by continuing the good working relationships we’ve built over many years.”

Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins agreed with Robison.

He said: “The Games promises to be a wonderful spectacle but we are also engaged in a vitally important debate about our country’s future. It is unrealistic to halt the campaign for two weeks, especially so close to the referendum vote.

“People will be focused on the Games but there will still be a demand for information from both sides in the independence debate. It is our role and responsibility to provide it.”

But Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall said: “This is an important intervention from a respected former first minister.

“He is absolutely correct to say nobody should use the Games as a political tool to get votes.

“While it’s hard to see campaigning draw to a halt, there is no doubt we should focus our energies on making the Games a great event for Scotland.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats sport spokesman Tavish Scott said: “If the SNP try to use Scots athletes to score partisan political points on independence, they will be booed by people the length and breadth of Scotland.”